


i want to taste her lips cos they taste like you

by alix8



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bullying, Cheating, F/M, Fame, Famous, Fluff, Gets pretty dark actually, Jealousy, Made For Each Other, Obsession, Smut, Stalking, Violence, crazy fans, online hate, pianist, singer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 07:03:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17361254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alix8/pseuds/alix8
Summary: It’s not easy to date somebody famous. It’s difficult to watch all the girls fawn over him, to receive all the hate that you’re not good enough or that you don’t deserve him even though you’ve been dating for over four years or that you’re just a ‘gold digging bitch’ even though you’ve been dating him since before he was famous. But it’s fine.***OR: Their love is strong and true but every crazed fan still think they’re meant to be with him.





	1. one.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Scroll to the very end to see a few mood boards I made (with casting!) in case you wanted to visualise what I see when I write this story. FEEL FREE TO COMPLETELY IGNORE THIS! You don't have to imagine the characters as these people at all, it's just how I personally see them. All original photos belong to their respective owners.
> 
> Word count: 1, 629

It’s not easy to date somebody famous. It’s difficult to watch all the girls fawn over him, to receive all the hate that you’re not good enough or that you don’t deserve him even though you’ve been dating for over four years or that you’re just a ‘gold digging bitch’ even though you’ve been dating him since before he was famous. But it’s fine.

Zachary and Sierra met their freshman year at The Chicago High School for the Arts, both under the music department. He majored in Vocal Performance and she in Instrumental Performance, with a concentration on the piano. It was pretty much love at first sight, but he was dating somebody else at the moment and she was too insecure to start any kind of relationship. They started dating towards the end of sophomore year and have been inseparable ever since. Even when in the middle of junior year he got discovered by a major talent agent and the name ‘Zachary Lockwood’ was _everywhere_ , even when he released his first album and sky rocketed up the charts, even when his crazy fans started mobbing him, and even when they both decided to not finish their senior year and go on a U.S. tour of his album instead, with Sierra as his main keyboardist.

But this is where they are: on stage in front of a sold out arena in Indiana, a thousand lights filling up the space and the crowd deafeningly screaming his lyrics back to him. Sierra could cry with how proud she is of him right now, singing his heart out on stage and being the true performer that he is.

“Thank you, Indianapolis!” he calls out as the drums finish up the song. “You have been so beautiful, I can’t even tell you guys how special you made my first time in Indiana.” he says to loud screams, moving his electric guitar aside and behind him. “Before I end the night, I want you guys to give some love to my amazing band.” he says, turning back to the band behind him. “This is Danny Sherwood on drums, Victoria Barkley on bass, Jen Martin on lead guitar, and of course, last but not least, the beautiful Sierra Lee on keys.” he says. The crowd cheers bloody murder and Sierra beams fondly as Zach discreetly blows her a kiss but she’s already preparing herself for the hate she’ll read on Twitter later.

“One last time, Indianapolis.” he says. “Sing it with me!”

Sierra plays the final keys easily. She doesn’t even have to think anymore from playing the same songs night after night for a few months. When the stage lights start to fade and the band plays a crescendo of notes, Danny bows one more time before exiting the stage quickly. The screams are louder than ever and the screams of ‘encore’ only die down when the house lights come up. The band start to leave the stage and the second Sierra’s off, she’s engulfed in a sweaty hug and a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

“Baby!” Sierra squeals in delight, laughing along with him.

“You did so fucking great tonight.” Zach says, kissing her temple fondly.

“You did too. I’m proud of you.” she says, moving so that she can give him a quick peck on his lips. “We should run back to the bus.” she says just as a few security guards whisk them away. They run hand-in-hand towards the bus, the door being promptly shut behind them and the bus starts to drive away the second it does.

Zach turns to face her and snatches her phone from her pocket quickly. “HEY!” she exclaims, grabbing for it but he keeps her phone stretched away in one hand and the other keeping her still.

“No. You’re not gonna go on your phone and look through Twitter, no way.” he says.

She groans miserably, burying her head onto his chest. “I just wanna see what they have to say.” she mumbles.

He sighs, wrapping his arms around her tightly. “You already know what they’re gonna say, baby.” he grumbles, kissing the top of her head lovingly. “Doesn’t make it true.”

“Whatever. I’m just gonna take a shower.” she says, pulling away.

“Want me to join you?” he asks, a hint of playful mischief in his eyes.

She snorts and gives him a kiss before shaking her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be quick. I’m too tired.” she says. He nods in understanding and she walks to the back of the bus, already removing her shoes on the way and setting them aside.

He huffs in exhaustion and collapses onto the couch in the tour bus’s lounge. He peels the sweaty shirt off his body and dumps it in the nearby hamper for wardrobe to collect and wash tomorrow morning. He pulls out his phone and is about to tweet a ‘thank you, Indianapolis!’ message but sees that his management already has. He’s more than frustrated with how much his management controls him. When he got signed to Big Time Labels, he didn’t think he would lose so much control over his life, but hey, fame comes with a high price.

His phone is buzzing with a shit ton of texts and emails from people in his team and contracts to look over and _god damn it, why do so many people have so many questions they need to ask me?!_ , he thinks desperately. He’s been playing so many shows back to back whilst simultaneously recording his new album on the road and he hasn’t gotten a single break. The one free day from playing a show he does have planned is two days from now, and it’s not even a real break because he has to spend the whole day filming a segment for Teen Vogue of him in his old high school.

God… going back home.

It’s hard to distract himself from the looming fear of playing his hometown, Chicago, tomorrow night. It’ll be his first time ever playing a real show, all of his family and friends from high school will be there, and he could truly vomit from the sheer thought of it. Not to mention, selling out the arena he’s been dreaming of playing since he was five: the United Center.

He’s exhausted and he’s terrified.

He goes to his messages (ignoring three texts from his publicist, one from his lawyer, two from his agent, two from his tour manager, four from his nutritionist, and one from the head of wardrobe) and texts his best friend, Leo, an Acting major at ChiArts.

**To: Leo Tripp**   
_Playing United Center tomorrow… is it too late to go back to ChiArts???_

He gets a response within seconds, making him smile fondly.

**From: Leo Tripp**   
_I don’t think McKulsky’s letting you back in a few months before graduation. Me and the boys are so hyped to see uuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!_

Before he could respond, Sierra walks in front of him, her hair still slightly damp and wearing only his tour hoodie. “Hey beautiful.” he says, putting his phone away.

“Are you coming to bed?” she asks. He plays with them hem of the hoodie, fingers ghosting over her bare thighs.

“In a bit, love. I have to shower.” he says. “Will you be asleep?”

She giggles. “Probably.” she says with a scrunched up face, trying to stifle her laugh. He scrunches his face right back and stands up to give her a kiss.

“I’ll be quiet.” he says. “Love you,” he says, patting her butt playfully before walking away to the shower.

“Love you too!” she yells back.

“I know!” he calls from the shower just before the sounds of water pouring takes over.

She goes to the bunk they’ve called their home and climbs in, sleep overcoming her within the minute.

It’s half past midnight when the curtain of their bunk is pulled aside. The light makes Sierra stir with a groan whilst Zach stays knocked out, arms still wrapped around Sierra. “I’m really sorry to do this, Zach…” Charity, the producer for his second album, says remorsefully as she lightly shakes his arm. “I just need you for a few verses. We’ve already gotten the instrumentals.”

Zach grumbles awake, tightening his grip on Sierra. “No, don’t wanna.” he mumbles into her hair.

“I’m sorry, man.” Charity says genuinely. Sierra groans sleepily, shaking Zack off of her lazily.

“Sing good, babe.” she mumbles incoherently, blindly giving him a kiss that hits just off the side of his left eye and turns away from the light, pulling the covers over her head. Zach sits up slightly, opening his eyes and facing the sorry smile of Charity.

“How long have I been asleep?” he asks, ruffling the hair off his eyes.

“Fifteen minutes… sorry.” Charity says.

Zach sighs but shakes his head. “No, no, it’s okay… I’ll be right up.” he mumbles. She gives him another apologetic smile before leaving to go to the makeshift studio they’ve created in the master bedroom at the back of the tour bus. He gives the slightly snoring Sierra another kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the bunk.

He spends three hours recording with Charity because, turns out, she wanted more than just a few verses. Well, not her, the label wants more and they want the album finished a whole two weeks earlier so that the release date coincides perfectly with a humanitarian project he’s set to do after the tour.

Only three and a half hours after he finally got to go back to bed, he was being stirred awake by Ted, his personal trainer, for a two hour gym session before rehearsal for the show.

Yes, fame comes with a high price.

\--

**CASTING**

_Zach_

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=256edj5)

_Sierra_

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=3469d0x)


	2. two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 2, 716

Sierra sits on her stool upstage right behind the keyboard, scrolling on her phone as Zach did his vocal warmups centre stage.

She’s grateful she doesn’t have to change her number like Zach did. He was popular and tons of people had gotten his number over the years. The day his first single went number one, he got a shit ton of texts and calls from people who haven’t spoken to him since even before ChiArts pretending to still be his best friend and a bunch of… inappropriate photos… sent to him. His manager just laughed at his face, told him to get a new number, and said ‘ _get used to it, kid_ ’. He quickly learned from the experience and only a handful of people now have his number: his direct family, his team and bandmates, and his four best friends from ChiArts.

Her on the other hand… she was never really ‘cool’ in school, it made everyone all the more confused as to why Zach started dating her. She was virtually ignored and, aside from Zach, only had two friends in ChiArts, though she never needed any more. She has Connor Wood, a fellow Instrumental Performance major with a guitar concentration, and Matilda Lewis, a Media Arts major that was sure to be the next Spielberg, both of whom she’s seeing tonight at the show.

She opens a text from Connor that has him and Matilda both smiling big and holding up their VIP backstage passes with the message ‘so excited for tonight, we’re hella proud of you xx’. She saves the photo fondly and types out a quick ‘LOVE U’.

“Alright guys and gals, let’s take it from _Storms_.” Zach says on the mic. Sierra sets her phone aside and plays the opening chords mindlessly, mostly admiring the shirtless Zach who was walking around stage, singing flawlessly and effortlessly, perfectly toned body glistening under the stage lights.

The rehearsal flies by fairly quickly and they run through one last soundcheck with a few lucky and crazed fans. The stadium doors open to the public and everyone scrambles backstage to get ready for the show.

The band goes to their shared dressing room and get into hair, makeup, and wardrobe within ten minutes. There’s not too much pressure for them as they’re in the back and barely get seen by the audience. Zach, however, is in his own dressing room and isn’t even halfway through hair.

He’s scrolling past Instagram absentmindedly as Lisa, his hair stylist and second mother on the road, blowdries his hair expertly. “Are you nervous, love?” Lisa asks him. He groans and puts away his phone. His personal assistant, Jade, whom he said he didn’t need but his label insisted on having her on tour, brings him a coffee from the craft table.

“Thank you,” he tells her graciously before looking back at Lisa through the mirror. “You have no idea.” he says. “Everyone’s here.” he grumbles insecurely.

“I know, I met your parents and Evan while you were at soundcheck. He goes to ChiArts?” she asks as Claudia, his makeup artists starts applying a light foundation on his cheeks.

“Yeah, he’s a freshman. Acting major,” he says.

“Having you as a brother must have helped him.” Lisa says jokingly. Zach laughs it off but although he’d never admit it out loud because it would be incredibly big headed, he knows there’s truth to that statement. The school won’t stop reposting all of his old work across all their social media platforms, plastering his name wherever and whenever they could, and claiming that he’s a ‘notable alumni’ even if he’s a dropout and not a graduate. But hey, Evan’s talented too and he probably would’ve made it in on his own anyway.

“CONNOR!” Sierra yells from outside, causing all the people in his dressing room to snap their heads towards the door.

“Ah, your favourite person.” Lisa says with a scoff.

“Not another word, Lisa.” Zach grumbles, rolling his eyes.

From outside, Sierra’s completely wrapped around a tall boy with dark hair, legs around his hips and arms around his neck. “Where’s Matilda?” Sierra asks her best friend as she pulls away from him. Having jump-hugged him out of the blue knocked the breath out of him but it’s fine, he’s mostly used to it.

“She’s filming an introduction.” he says. She looks at him in confusion and catches Matilda speaking to a camera with a light on top of it at the end of the hallway.

“Wait… are you vlogging? Did you _finally_ start a YouTube channel?! How did I not know about this?” Sierra screams in a happy disbelief, walking over to her. Matilda laughs and faces the camera towards her.

“I wanted to surprise you!” Matilda says. “I just reached twenty thousand subscribers.”

“Oh my god, congrats!” Sierra exclaims, hugging Matilda. She faces the camera knowingly. “Just so you guys know, I’ve been trying to convince her to start a YouTube channel for _years_.” she says.

“Well… this will definitely get you a shit ton more subscribers.” Connor says. “A behind the scenes look at Zachary Lockwood’s concert.” he says dramatically. “Wait till they find out you’re actually friends with him.”

“I’m not that close with him.” Matilda says with a scoff, turning off the camera. “Anyway, we’re here for _Sierra_.” she says knowingly.

“You know it’ll still trend on Twitter.” Connor says.

“Alright, shut up, let’s go see Zach!” Sierra says excitedly.

In the dressing room, Lisa’s finishing up his perfect hair and Claudia’s applying setting spray on his face. He hops off from the seat in front of the mirror and takes his shirt off, making Lisa slap him lightly when he slightly moves the quiff on top of his head. “Just make sure you keep your anger on the down low.” Lisa teases as she readjusts it for him. He sticks her tongue out at him playfully.

“No promises.” he says, walking over to Paolo, his head stylist. Zach shimmies out of his jeans, leaving him in his black boxer-briefs, as Paolo hands him a freshly ironed Joy Division tour shirt from the rack and denim jeans that don’t look nearly as expensive as they actually are.

Zach jumps into the jeans and the mic technician of the arena sets up his custom in-ear monitors for him, a transparent red with Spiderman’s face on it, hooking it up to the back belt hoops of his jeans. He remembers the process of getting the in-ears moulded and how much he hated it, and how long it took for him to finally choose a design to put on it. He twists them off so they hang by his chest as he thanks the technician.

As the man leaves, Sierra along with Connor and Matilda come in. “Hey!” he tells them with a smile. He won’t lie that he’s flexing slightly because he noticed the camera filming in Matilda’s hands. He slips his shirt on as they walk closer.

Paolo hands him a pair of white sneakers with red and blue backings, a golden ‘GUCCI’ gleaming on each side and he puts them on quickly. The tour’s wardrobe has four pairs of the same shoes. The look that his management has decided him to go for, apparently, is expensive clothes that look cheap. They love to put him in vintage band t-shirts and plain jeans and sneakers… yet the total price of the whole outfit always costs thousands. Zach doesn’t get it either.

“Hey baby,” he says to Sierra, kissing her temple and keeping his arm around her waist. He’s never going to admit that it’s protectively but…

He never had a problem with Connor until he answered Sierra’s phone when she was in the shower and Connor, very much drunk, confessed his love to who he thought was her. Zach hung the phone up abruptly and never told her about it. But ever since then, he’s had a sore spot for Connor.

“Have you started vlogging?” he asks Matilda, gesturing towards the camera.

“Yes, you better subscribe to me.” she says playfully and Zach laughs.

“I will… Sierra will make sure of it.” he says. She giggles by his side and nods, kissing his jaw fondly. Yeah, she’s playing it up, she knows it, they both do. But in the end, this video will be viewed by millions, and she’s always been a little bit… territorial. “Have you seen your family yet?” he asks Sierra as Matilda vlogs around the room with Connor.

“Not yet, I think they’re out to eat with your family. We’ll probably see them after the show.” she says and Zach hums in thought.

“Will you be able to survive a night without me?” he asks cheekily, kissing her quickly yet deeply. The good thing about being home is that, for once, he gets to spend the night on a real bed. It’ll be good to be around family for the night and feel normal, without a personal assistant grabbing the trash from his hands and throwing it away before he could.

But it does also mean that Sierra will be doing the same and thus resulting in them spending the first night in over a month not falling asleep in each other’s arms in a tiny bus bunk. “I’m sure I can manage.” she says with an eye roll.

“KNOCK KNOCK.” a familiar voice calls from the door, four heads, three boys and one girl, sticking into the room comically.

“Oh my god!” Zach exclaims excitedly, quickly running towards them. They enter the room and the boys engage in a massive group hug. Matilda captures it all on camera as Connor whispers “ _absolute gold, you might as well be directing his documentary_ ” in her ear, earning him a smack to his chest.

Leo is the first to break away. “I can’t believe you’re playing United…” he says, wide smile on his face.

“I know, we’ve been to so many concerts in here.” Zach says fondly.

“The cheapest seats only.” Reese Oliver, a Vocal Performance major, adds.

“Obviously.” Zach says.

“And now you’ve sold it out. Funny how it all works out.” Tom Pierce, a Visual Arts major, says gleefully.

“Just don’t sell out.” Reese adds pointedly, making Zach snort in laughter.

“Oh, Z! This is Ari. We’re on a date.” Tom says and the girl with the pixie cut hair pokes out from behind him, giving a shy wave.

Zach turns his attention to her with a slightly shocked but polite smile. “Hi, nice to meet you.” he says, as polished and media trained as ever. Ever since his career took off, he’s found himself struggling to trust new people as easily as he used to. His best friends from back home, easy. His girlfriend’s best friends, fine. But a girl that’s never spoken to Tom and suddenly is dating him and backstage at his concert? Yeah, not so much. Especially since she has crazed fan eyes. She’s trying to play it cool but he can sense them quickly and easily. So no, she’s not too trusting of her.

“I’m a big fan.” she says. There it is: the slight slip of manic excitement in her voice.

“Thank you.” he says as he always does. Usually, at this point, if they’re not hysterically crying or shaking, he would go with ‘ _do you want a picture, love?_ ’ or ‘ _thank you for your support_ ’. But she’s on a date with one of his best friends so he figures he should say something a little less generic and a little more conversational. So, instead, he goes with: “Do you go to ChiArts?”

“Yeah, I’m a Visual Arts major too.” she says with a smile.

“Oh, are you a senior?” he asks and she shakes her head.

“Freshman.” she says, eyes gleaming.

Leo and Reese try to hide their laughter behind clenched fists, sharing knowing looks with Zach when he looks up to mentally consult with them, Leo nodding and confirming his thoughts. “Well, you might know my brother,” Zach starts. “Ev—,”

“Evan?! Yes, I know him.” she says, cutting him off excitedly.

“Oh.” Zach says awkwardly. Before he can say anything else, Sierra hops behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. “This is Sierra, my girlfriend.” he introduces.

“Pleased to meet you.” she says through gritted teeth. Sierra senses what Zach did right away and she tenses up slightly.

“This is Ari, she’s on a… date with Tom.” he says, his tone suggestive of exactly what’s happening and she picks up on it right away. Fuck, he loves her.

“Well… Tom’s a keeper, isn’t he?” Sierra teases lightly. She lets go of Zach’s waist and goes to hug the three boys, greeting them like old friends.

“Zach, ten minutes.” Ian, his tour manager and dad on the road, says. Both Zach and Sierra’s friends are escorted out of backstage and to their seats in VIP, Sierra goes on stage with the rest of the band to start getting the crowd excited and play a few stray notes to tease the fans, and Zach stays alone in his dressing room, steamer on and warming up his throat with some vocalisations.

He tries not to cry from how nervous he is as he walks to the stage, the band’s back for the usual huddle and pep talk, and he takes his position on the platform below the main stage as the band goes back on and the lights start up. The bass trembles his bones and he feels the adrenaline coursing through his whole body, more than he’s ever felt before.

Then, to the beat of the song, the platform pops up and suddenly he’s on stage, staring at 23, 500 faces screaming in adoration at him. In that split second, he felt his tears well up and his heart soar as he looks his wildest dreams straight in the eyes. But he can’t dwell too long just yet. So he brings his microphone up to his lips and starts singing.

It’s not after three songs does he get to stop and really _look_ at the audience and assess where he is right now. “Good evening, Chicago!” he calls out, the largest smile splitting his face. “Oh my goodness, you guys don’t understand how much this night means to me right now.” he says and is met with deafening screams. Screams have never meant so much to him. “Some of you may know that this is my hometown. South Side, represent!” he says and the crowd goes _insane_. “I’m gonna be honest. I know you hear this kind of stuff a lot because I used to hear it a lot but, genuinely, I never thought that some kid from Back of the Yards would be selling out fucking United Center.” he says, tears forming in his eyes as he looks around him at the sheer vastness of situation. “I haven’t been home in a while so I’d love to just have fun tonight.” he says. “Let’s have some fun, Chicago! This is Sidewalks.”

It was probably the best show he’s ever played. Maybe it was the emotions getting to him but he thought it was definitely the loudest crowd he’s played for so far. He was able to watch his friends and family jumping around and singing in their area, he cried one or two times ( _secretly_ ), and he’s playing the venue he’s been attending since he was a kid, a place he never thought he would ever be able to even just touch the stage, much less play his own music to a sold out arena. He’s living his god damn dream, right here right now.

“Thank you so much for having me, Chicago, you have been the most wonderful crowd. Best way to spend a night, thank you for spending it with me.” he says, playing the crowd like a fiddle. “I could have never done this without my amazing band, come on and show them the same love you’ve been showing me all night: Danny Sherwood on drums, Victoria Barkley on bass, Jen Martin on lead guitar, and Sierra Lee on keys.” he says. “I’m Zachary Lockwood, and for the last time tonight, sing this with me!”


	3. three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential TW: mention of self harm, stalker
> 
> Word count: 1, 698

“Yeah, I’m outside ChiArts now. They’re just setting up the camera.” Zach says to Sierra over the phone. He got lucky and the shoot for Vogue got moved to two in the afternoon instead of eleven in the morning so he was able to have his first relaxing morning in months, even before the tour it was meetings and writing and contracts. He hasn’t had time for himself in a long ass time. So today, he was able to wake up, fully rejuvenated, at eleven and then had a pleasant brunch with his family at a small spot in their old neighbourhood (because as soon as he could, Zach bought his family a new house in a much, _much_ nicer place in Chicago) where the staff knew him as a regular and none of the patrons recognised him. It was nice to be able to be around people who really knew him and watched him grow up, as opposed to people who just sees him as Zachary Lockwood: Famous R&B Star. And despite the one business call he had to take, everything felt… normal for once. No special treatment, no secret photo taking, no bodyguards. It felt like his old life, which wasn’t too long ago but felt like a lifetime away. It sounds cliche, he knows, but it’s the truth.

“Will it take long?” Sierra asks from her family’s couch, stretching out and laying her lap on a pillow her grandma had made her. She’s grateful to have a full day of nothing. Just lounging and spending time with her parents and her two best friends that skipped school to hang out with her and staying in pyjamas all day, drinking hot chocolate and having a Harry Potter marathon.

“Nah, probably two hours? Maybe even less if all goes well.” he says. The resident makeup artist of Vogue adds another layer of powder on his face which definitely means they’re going up for the take soon. “I gotta go, babe. I’ll text you later.” he says.

“‘Kay, see ya!” she says, hanging up the phone. He pockets his phone just as he feels it vibrate with a text message. Ignoring it, he looks to the director for further instructions.

“So you know what to do, right?” the director asks. He nods. He was briefed on what they’re doing when he got there. Just a walking tour, recount memories in specific locations, really, it’s just one big fan service mixed with publicity for the school. Just worry about that, they’ll get B-roll of the school and other footage later. “Okay, camera?” he asks.

“Rolling.” the cameraman relays.

“Sound?” he asks, turning back to the man with a device and a headset on, monitoring the levels of the lapel microphone hidden underneath Zach’s shirt.

“Speeding.”

“And action!”

“Hi there, Vogue! My name is Zachary Lockwood and we’re back in my old high school, ChiArts.” he says to the camera, as confident and impish as always. “We’re gonna take a look around, relive some of my fondest memories, and hopefully, run into some old friends. Come on,” he says, walking towards the building. He pats himself on the back for getting the introduction down in one take.

“It’s an hour commute to school, or rather, it was.” Zach says as they enter the school’s building. Classes were currently in session so the hallway was empty except for the camera crew, Zach, and his publicist, Connie. The walls were colourful and painted and it was very clear, just by stepping into the building, that this was a place for young creatives.

Zach faces the camera crew with a smile. “This one’s my old locker. I hope whoever has it now is taking proper care of it.” he jokes, looking at the yellow metal door with fond nostalgia. “But it’s also the spot where I asked Sierra out on our very first date, so… there’s a special place in my heart for locker 1503.” he says, tapping it in goodbye before walking away.

“We’re gonna crash my favourite class I’ve ever taken here at ChiArts: R&B Vocals.” he says as he walks the familiar hallways easily, not having to think about where he’s going. “Hopefully there isn’t a class going on, and if there is, hopefully we don’t get in trouble.” he says with an impish grin, tongue poking out slightly between his teeth. “Academics are from 8-2 and conservatory classes from 2-5,” he starts, looking at the wall clock they just passed that read 2:15. “So there’s a big possibility that we’re about to disrupt a class right now. Sorry in advanced, Ms. Zall.” he says to the camera. After a flight of stairs, he stops in front of a door painted with some iconic R&B artists onto it. He peeks in the window quickly before beaming at the camera. “There’s a class… I’m gonna go in.” he says.

“Are you sure the teacher won’t get mad?” Connie asks. Always thinking forward for the image, for the story, for the reputation. Connie does her job and does it well but Zach thinks sometimes she does it much too well.

“Nah, she loves me.” he says cheekily, hand already on the doorknob. He barges in and everyone turns to face him. The students immediately whisper excitedly, trying to take discreet photos and videos, a few girls crying. The teacher, Ms. Zall, just smiles knowingly at him, arms crossed over her chest.

“Ah, Mr. Lockwood.” she says. “Are you here to cause trouble in my classroom once more?”

“Hey Ms. Zall,” he says, walking over to give her a hug. “I’m just filming a thing for Vogue and I wanted to show them my favourite teacher and the class that influenced everything.” he says and Ms. Zall laughs in pure joy.

“How flattering, Zach.” she says.

“Be honest with me right now.” he says with a serious intensity. “How’s Reese doing?”

Ms. Zall bursts out laughing. “You should ask him yourself.”

And that’s how it goes. He spends nearly two hours walking around and giving little anecdotes, disrupting a few classes and running into old friends who try and make fun of him in front of the camera. It’s sweet and it’s pleasant and nothing’s too serious. They interview a few of his old teachers and get great footage of the cafeteria lady tearing up as they share a nostalgic hug. Zach blushes brightly yet can’t help but stare a bit longer, eyes gleaming with pride and disbelief, when his face makes it onto the wall of notable alumni (and yeah, he knows he never graduated but he feels it just the same because he spent his years staring at that wall of great artists, only ever dreaming of being on it himself, so he can’t be fucked with the specifics of it all), even taking a photo of it and sending it to his parents.

“It feels really weird walking these halls… feels like a different life.” he says softly, eyes scanning the halls with a hint of a smile on his lips. “Feels so so long ago, even though it wasn’t, really.”

And he exits the building, closing the double doors behind him. “That was my high school. I hope you enjoyed, I’ll see you later!” he says with a wink, walking off camera.

“And cut! That’s a wrap.” the director calls out. Everyone starts packing up and the sound guy unhooks the microphone from him just as Connie’s congratulating him on a job well done. Exhausted, Zach pulls out his phone and ignores the e-mails and the texts from management and the text from his mum asking _where did you leave the mangoes, hun?_ , going straight to a message from an unknown number. He never gets messages from random people, his number is top-secret.

He opens it and almost chokes on his spit when he sees a naked photo of a girl, her face not seen at all, fingers deep inside herself. The text message that accompanies it reads _hey daddy, i’m ready for you, i’ve been a bad bad girl_. He figures it’s a wrong number but the next photo is her with a razor blade in her hand, the name ‘ZACHARY’ carved onto her thigh, the fresh cut bleeding, the message reading _why won’t you answer me, baby? we’re meant to be_. He almost drops his phone to the ground.

Immediately, he calls his manager, Allen. He picks up after two rings. He doesn’t even get to muster out a greeting when Zach blurts out, “Some psycho has my number!”

“What?” Allen asks, confused. The sound of loud typing could be heard in the background. Allen’s always busy, he’s always got something going on. “Can you calm down and tell me exactly what’s happened?” he asks.

Zach quickly puts on his earphones and takes a screenshot of the text messages, sending it to Allen. “Did you get them?!” he asks in a panic as he’s being escorted back into a car.

“Yeah…” Allen says and the typing stops. His tone is strong of something that Zach’s never heard come out of his lips: actual, genuine worry. “Yeah, fuck, I got them.” he grumbles. “Jesus, who is this chick?”

“No idea. Chicago area code, though.” Zach says with a huff, rubbing his templates to try and soothe the oncoming throbbing. No such luck. “I don’t even know how she would have gotten my number.”

“This girl seems… crazy. Not just some regular super fan.” Allen says. “Dangerous. I’m gonna up your security detail and we need to get you out of Chicago ASAP.”

Dread fills Zach’s body. “Wait, what? No!” he fights. “I was gonna spend time with Evan and help him rehearse for a musical audition, and—,” he starts but is cut off pretty quickly.

“Zach, you’re in _danger_. This girl seems nuts. We’re not risking it. Help him over Skype or whatever. But this isn’t up for discussion. The bus will be at your house to pick you up in twenty. I’ll let the rest of the crew and band know.”

Then the line cuts out.

Well, fuck.


End file.
